Patna: Vice-chancellor of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), P S Pandey, on Tuesday exhorted the scientists to find ways for effective management of litchi stink bug, the outbreak of which is causing huge financial loss to the farmers.Inaugurating a day-long training and capacity training programme on the management of litchi stink bug (Tessaratoma javanica) organised jointly by the directorate of extension education and entomology department of RPCAU at Pusa (Samastipur), the VC said Bihar’s identity litchi has been the major source of farmers’ income, but its production has declined considerably due to the invasion of the litchi bug.Even as the govt has constituted a task force for the management of this harmful bug and the university’s scientists along with the scientist of National Litchi Research Centre (NLRC) at Muzaffarpur have developed technology for management of this bug, but it is yet to reach the farmers. Technology developed in the lab is meaningful only when it reaches the field, he said.Pandey further observed that chemical control alone will not work. “We must adopt biological and integrated pest management practices for effective management of bugs. The university stands shoulder to shoulder with litchi growers and is committed to providing every possible technical support,” he said.Addressing the workshop as the chief guest, NLRC director Vikas Das said the litchi stink bug has now become a national problem. Scientists have given very clear recommendations on monitoring, timely spray and use of bio-control agents for the effective control of bugs. NLRC will collaborate with RPCAU to run district-level awareness campaigns so that this information reaches every litchi-growing farmer, he added.Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s assistant director general B B Patel, PG College of Agriculture’s dean Mayank Rai, extension director R K Jha, research director A K Singh and scores of scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra besides progressive litchi growers of the state attended the programme.
A day-long training and capacity training programme on the management of litchi stink bug being held at RPCAU, Samastipur
